Unis attacked over teacher training

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New teachers are ill-prepared for the realities of the classroom
and lack practical skills, a State Parliament inquiry has
found.

The report questions the fundamentals of teacher training in
universities, finding "significant disquiet" over the quality and
relevance of teacher education.

"Far too often" principals, experienced teachers and parents
found new teachers were not "teacher ready", the Education and
Training Committee inquiry found.

It recommended that the minimum number of teaching placement
days be increased from 80 to 130 during an undergraduate course and
from 45 to 80 days in postgraduate courses.

Committee chairman Steven Herbert said that as schools rapidly
changed - with new curriculums and new types of people wanting to
teach - teacher training had to adapt.

"Teachers need the skills of teaching, not just the theory, by
spending more time in schools before they work there," Mr Herbert
said. "The clear message is that we need to change teacher
preparation, they need to be far more teacher ready than they are
now."

He said there was also a need to get university lecturers back
into classrooms as schools were changing faster than
universities.

The bipartisan inquiry found that the growing numbers of
professionals changing careers to take up teaching enhanced the
diversity and quality of the education workforce, but universities
had not responded with more flexible course hours.

It recommended flexible and accelerated postgraduate programs
for people switching into teaching from another career, and better
recognition of previous skills and qualifications.

Deakin University dean of education Shirley Grundy said training
needed to strike a balance between learning by teaching and
discipline knowledge.

"The easy and popular response is to say, 'No, there is not
enough practical teaching', but that's not an adequate response
unless you can say what there should be less of," she said.

Professor Grundy also questioned who would pay for the
supervision costs of additional practical teaching hours.

Opposition education spokesman Victor Perton said inquiry
committee members had been shocked at reports from students,
principals and parents that universities were not doing a good job
in teacher education.

"Teaching students are very negative about the experience they
have had at university," Mr Perton said. As the State Government
employed the most teachers, it was its job to ensure new recruits
were ready, he said.

Federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson last month announced a
review of teacher training.